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Inventing Backstories

9/24/2014

This update on the progress of their show was sent in by the director of a Children's Theater Group in Alabama. She encouraged all of the children to invent backstories for their particular characters. Here's how they are doing:

"Things are coming along so well.

The kids have come up with some great backstories...Iris is Galatia's Great granddaughter. She has a baby that Galatia cares for during the dances. Galatia is 99 ( I know so old but I let them do this, and tried not to micromanage TOO much). She has a big thick walking stick.

The whole village, especially the women rely on the wool from the sheep to spin, weave and sew. SO, when the sheep are gone it means so much more than just the loss of the sheep, it is an economic loss for the whole village.

The wolf sneaks out and watches the sheep while they are dancing, he realizes that Galatia is no longer caring for the sheep, so he is always watching for his chance. It is so cute watching him slink around. We had to talk about how they CAN'T notice him, no matter what he does. He even mimes, (as he is mostly hidden behind some rocks) them a bit as they are doing the "Thieving Wolf Ballet". It was great in rehearsal, so I hope it will work!

Anyway, here are the images that a recent High School Graduate did for us. I sent the color poster, and the T-shirt image.

Thank you so much for writing these shows!"

These designs for their posters and T-shirts are wonderful! They were created by an 18 year old girl studying to be a graphic artist. I think she has a very bright future!

I just love what their promoters said on their Facebook invite:

"Sophie and I are so proud to be working behind the scenes on this fantastic production! The cast is extremely talented (already gotten goosebumps) and they happen to be adorable as well. So far, I can honestly say that the dancing sheep alone are worth the price of admission. Consider taking a night out and come enjoy the show! Live theatre for less than the price of a movie ticket....hard to beat an opportunity like this for family entertainment!!!"

It's like I have always maintained, the little dancing sheep in the production of Never Cry Wolf are the real stars of the show! You just can't argue with cute factor!

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Retelling a Story or Fable with a Moral

9/15/2014

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My elementary classroom teacher friends have been kind enough to offer suggestions for Lesson Plans for my new Mini-Musicals. In many states, so much of the curriculum is scripted to meet the Common Core Objectives. They find that it is exhausting to add anything beyond the well-stated goals. It is simply too hard to justify "fluff' and "fun." They are too busy trying to keep up with all of the mandated requirements. And many teachers are so overwhelmed, they rely solely on commercially prepared pre-made worksheets and packets.

This is such a shame! As I have read the National Common Core Objectives, there seems to be a lot of room for creativity and fun. For example, one of the ELA objectives for 1st-3rd grades is to retell a story or fable with a moral. What better way to meet this objective than to present a class play? And if the songs reinforce the concepts of the moral plus other Language Arts ideas, that is all for the better. For example, the opening song in "The Tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff," contains an idiom that is introduced along with many other puzzlements, "Why is Grass Always Greener on the Other Side?" This song is a good jumping off point for a discussion about asking questions to get information using the words "who, what, where, when and why."

In the Mini-Musical "The Tale of the Musicians of Bremen," the moral has to do with Age and Change. Children may not recognize how difficult it is for older people to grow old and feel useless. Older people often stubbornly resist change. The old farmer and his wife in the story have to face Age and Change in themselves and for their animals. This story shows the animals taking a proactive step to avoid their certain fate (death). The animals are likable and do silly things, but also allow for a discussion about important life lessons, particularly Age and Change.

The City Mouse and the Country Mouse discover that both of their homes have pros and cons. The Country Mouse visits the City with her cousin and is terrified at the noise and hustle-bustle and all of the hidden dangers of the City. She decides that the "cons" far outweigh the "pros" of City Life. She races home to the Country where she already knows what to expect. "The Tale of the City Mouse and the Country Mouse" begins a discussion about Comparisons and Likes and
Dislikes. Through explorations in acting and singing, the students can draw comparisons from the story and their own experiences to become better at determining their own preferences.

Retelling a story or fable with a moral is what these Mini-Musicals are all about. According to the advice of my teacher friends, I have included ideas and worksheets to help meet some of the Common Core Objectives for ELA. The best accolade I ever got from mounting one of these shows came from two little boys. The confided to their dad that they did not know why I kept telling them how proud I was of their hard work. They did not feel like it was work at all. They were having so much fun!

Who says learning can't be fun?

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Inventing Backstories

Retelling a Story or Fable with a Moral

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